300 Winchester Short Magnum (also known as 300 WSM) is a .30

caliber In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the finished bore match ...

rebated rim bottlenecked

centerfire Two rounds of .357 Magnum, a centerfire cartridge; notice the circular primer in the center A centerfire cartridge is a firearm metallic cartridge whose primer is located at the center of the base of its casing (i.e. "case head"). Unlike rimf ...

short magnum cartridge that was introduced in 2001 by

Winchester Winchester is a cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, at the western end of the South Downs National Park, on the River Itchen. It is south-west of Lond ...

.The 300 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum) by Chuck Hawks (subscriptions req)
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Specifications

The overall cartridge length is 72.6 mm. The cartridge case length is 53.34 mm. The bullet diameter is .308 in (7.82 mm), which is common to all U.S. .30 caliber cartridges. The principle at work in the short magnum cartridge is the fitting of larger volumes of powder in closer proximity to the primer's flash hole, resulting in more-uniform ignition. .300 WSM has a case capacity of 80 grains of . The .30-06 Springfield holds 69 grains of ; .308 Winchester holds 56 grains of ; 30-30 Winchester holds 45 grains of . The .300 Winchester Magnum has a case capacity of 93.8 grains of . While providing ballistic performance nearly identical to that of the .300 Winchester Magnum, 300 WSM does this with about 14 grains less powder. The .300 WSM also head-spaces off of the case shoulder, versus the older .300 Winchester Magnum's belted head space design. The advantage to this round is the ballistic performance is nearly identical to the

.300 Winchester Magnum The .300 Winchester Magnum (also known as .300 Win Mag or .300 WM) (7.62×67mmB, 7.62x66BR) is a belted, bottlenecked magnum rifle cartridge that was introduced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1963. The .300 Winchester Magnum is a m ...

in a lighter rifle with a shorter action burning 8 - 10% less gunpowder. A disadvantage of cartridge case designs with relatively large case head diameters lies in relatively high

bolt thrust Bolt thrust or breech pressure is a term used in internal ballistics and firearms (whether small arms or artillery) that describes the amount of rearward force exerted by the propellant gases on the bolt or breech of a firearm action or breech wh ...

levels exerted on the locking mechanism of the employed firearm. Also, in small ring actions the larger chamber diameter removes more steel from the barrel tenon, making it weaker radially.

Use

The .300 WSM is adequate for hunting all big game including (but not limited to): moose, black bear, brown bear, elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer in forests and plains where long range, flat shots are necessary. The .300 WSM is also used in benchrest shooting. The .300 WSM has a standard bullet diameter of .308 in (7.82 mm) and takes advantage of the numerous bullet options available in that caliber.

Warnings

The 300 WSM is a Delta L problem cartridge, meaning it can present unexpected chambering and/or feeding problems. The Delta L problem article explains this problem in more detail. The .300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum has very similar cartridge dimensions but is not interchangeable.

Muzzle velocity

* 165 gr (10.69 g) Full Metal Jacket (FMJ): 3,223 ft/s (982 m/s) * 180 gr (11.66 g) Full Metal Jacket (FMJ): 3,095 ft/s (943 m/s)

Comparison

References

External links

C.I.P. TDCC datasheet 300 Win. Short Mag.
{{DEFAULTSORT:300 Wsm Pistol and rifle cartridges Winchester Short Magnum rifle cartridges Magnum rifle cartridges